Dār al-Iftā Ahl al-Sunnah

(1) What is meant by 15 days in a SharꜤī journey?

Question: What do the scholars of Islam say regarding the following: A person travelled from Pakistan to Madinah Munawwarah to visit the blessed shrine of the Merciful Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم . His intention there was to stay for fourteen full nights and return on the fifteenth day. So, upon arriving there, he offered qaṣr (shortened) prayers for two days, but then someone told him that he must offer complete prayers. Consequently, he performed complete prayers for the remaining days. Thus, he stayed in Madinah for 14 complete nights and up to the third prayer on the fifteenth day, without spending the fifteenth night there, and then returned. Please provide Shar'i guidance: was this person a resident (muqīm) or a traveller (musāfir) during the period he was in Madinah? And what is the ruling regarding his prayers for the first two days and the remaining prayers?

Note: This person performed all these prayers individually and by sitting during the second raka'at.

بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

In the inquired situation, the qaṣr prayers offered by this person during the first two days were valid. However, the prayers performed completely instead of qaṣr after two days were makrūh taḥrīmī (reprehensible to a degree of prohibition) and it is obligatory for him to repeat them (Wājib al-IꜤādah).

The detail of the ruling is that when a person travels a distance of 92km with the intention of staying for less than 15 days, he is considered a traveller in Islamic law. Here, 15 days refers to 15 nights, meaning if he does not stay continuously for 15 nights in a place, he will remain a traveller. However, if he intends to stay for 15 consecutive nights in a place, even if he travels elsewhere during the day, he will become a resident, not a traveller, provided that the place he goes to during the day is not located at a SharꜤī travel distance from the place where he spends the night. In short, as long as the intention is to stay for less than 15 nights, he will remain a traveller. Therefore, in the inquired situation, since your intention was to stay in Madinah Shareef for 14 nights, not 15 nights, you were not a resident there; rather, you were a SharꜤī traveller. Consequently, it was obligatory for you to offer qaṣr prayers.  For a SharꜤī traveller to intentionally abandon qaṣr prayers and offer full prayers while praying alone constitutes the deliberate neglect of a wājib (necessary act), which is impermissible and sinful. Therefore, it is obligatory upon you to repent and to repeat the prayers you performed in full.

Note: The person who advised performing complete prayers instead of qaṣr in this situation was either mistaken or conveyed incorrect information. A ruling must only be given after recalling it accurately.

وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم

(2) Whose ownership is the gold given to a girl as dowry?

Question: What do the scholars of Islam say regarding the following: When gold is given to a girl as dowry by her parents at the time of her marriage, who does it belong to according to Islamic law? The purpose of asking this is that my daughter was married, and we gave her gold as dowry. Now, her maternal uncle-in-law claims that his sister, i.e., the girl's mother-in-law, has a right to this gold, due to which they do not allow her to use it. We request your guidance regarding the SharꜤī ruling on this matter.

بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

The SharꜤī ruling is that whatever goods and jewellery are given to a girl as dowry in our custom, they become her property. Therefore, in the inquired situation, the gold given as dowry is the property of the girl; no one else has any right to it. Preventing her from using the gold is also not permissible.

وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم

(3) Is it permissible to sew the edges of the iḥrām sheet?

Question: What do the scholars of Islam say regarding the following: I intend to perform ꜤUmrah and have purchased an iḥrām for this purpose, but my mother sewed its edges with a needle to prevent the threads from fraying. Kindly guide me whether this is permissible or not?

بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

Sewing the edges of iḥrām sheets is makrūh (disliked) and undesirable, as it is preferable for them to be free from any kind of stitching. However, it is not impermissible, as it does not fall under the prohibited makhīṭ (stitched clothing). Therefore, if a person performs Hajj or ꜤUmrah wearing such sheets, it is permissible, and no expiation or charity will be obligatory.

وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم

(4) Is it permissible to convey reward to a deceased pre-pubescent child?

Question: What do the scholars of Islam say regarding the following: Is it permissible to convey reward to a pre-pubescent child who was a few months or a few years old?

بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

Fundamentally, keep in mind that no distinction is made regarding the recipient of the reward being virtuous or sinful, or adult or pre-pubescent. That is, it is not the case that reward can only be conveyed to an adult or a sinful person, and not to a pre-pubescent or virtuous person. Rather, a person can convey the reward of any of his deeds to any other Muslim. The only difference is that for a sinful person, a major purpose of conveying reward is to pray for their forgiveness, while for virtuous individuals, the purpose of conveying reward is to elevate their ranks and bring about further mercies. Just as Muslims present reward to the Prophets عَـلَـيْـهِمُ الـصَّلٰوةُ وَالـسَّـلَام , and especially to the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم , this has been the practice from the time of the blessed Companions رَضِیَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُم until now, despite the fact that the Prophets عَـلَـيْـهِمُ الـصَّلٰوةُ وَالـسَّـلَام are infallible. Therefore, it is permissible to convey reward to a pre-pubescent child, who is certainly not sinful, as this leads to the elevation of their ranks.

وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم